The 2020 winners and our secrets to boost the Linksium candidates for the i -Lab competition

A national distinction

The 2020 innovation competition awards ceremony has just been held: a 100% digital event attended by Barbara Pompili, Minister of the Ecological Transition, Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister Delegate for industry attached to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery, and Guillaume Boudy, Secretary General for investment. The 2021 i-Lab competition organised by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Bpifrance, was launched on 24 November.

5 winners every year: an unwavering achievement

For the 4^th year running, Linksium confirms its success with 5 winners. These achievements enhance the dynamics of Grenoble’s ecosystem for deep tech startups. What lies behind this exceptional constancy in such a demanding national competition?

Commitment to the projects

Linksium’s commitment to deep tech researchers and entrepreneurs pays off, as testified by the series of positive results. “Once a project has been validated by the investment committee, we monitor every step and support the teams through all their difficulties; most importantly, we help them to focus on ambitious objectives. Aside from our contractual obligations, this commitment also means mutual trust, benevolence and attentiveness. It implies other qualities: a pedagogical approach, without which researchers would not be able to adapt to the world of business; distancing, to enable us to think things over without pressure to come to the right decisions; proactiveness to anticipate problems; agility to be able to act quickly throughout the transfer chain,” declared Gilles Talbotier.

Find out more: Creating a technological startup

Team play and good timing

This proximity with our projects and startups means we can establish beneficial relations with other structures in our ecosystem, both upstream with the research institutions and downstream with industrial partners and investment funds.

The winning projects and startups are based on scientific inventions that were detected in one of the research laboratories of Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble INP, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, CEA, or INRIA.

i-Lab as a label

For a startup originating in a public research lab, winning the i-Lab competition is a formidable quality certification. As well as the grant awarded to each winner, the support of Bpifrance and the recognition of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation are drivers of success, as attested by the achievements of our previous winners.

Congratulations to the Grenoble region’s 5 i-Lab 2020 winners!

5 LINKSIUM PROJECTS WIN AWARDS, INCLUDING 1 SPECIAL PRIZE:

• FUNCELL -SPECIAL PRIZE
• BEFC
• EMOFACE
• GRAPHEAL
• LEFT ANGLE